How to Adjust 3D Touch Sensitivity on the iPhone 6s

Posted by Jim Tanous on October 9, 2015

3D Touch is a new interface technology introduced by Apple in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Based on Force Touch, which debuted on the Apple Watch, 3D Touch allows developers to offer additional UI options to users based on how hard they press on their device’s screen.While it will take some time for users to grow accustomed to 3D Touch, some users frequently find themselves inadvertently activating the feature when they didn’t intend to. Still other users have a difficult time activating 3D Touch and find it uncomfortable to press so hard on their iPhone screen. Thankfully, Apple allows users to adjust 3D Touch sensitivity, or turn the feature off altogether. Here’s how to do it.First, remember that 3D Touch is currently only available on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, so if you don’t have either of those devices, you won’t see the following options in your Settings. If you do have an iPhone 6s or newer, you can adjust 3D Touch sensitivity by heading to Settings > General > Accessibility > 3D Touch.Here, you’ll find two basic options: you can turn 3D Touch off by sliding the “3D Touch” toggle to Off (white), or you can leave the feature enabled and merely adjust its sensitivity. By default, 3D Touch pressure sensitivity is set to “Medium.” Set it to “Light” if you want to reduce the amount of pressure required to activate 3D Touch, or set it to “Firm” if you find yourself inadvertently activating 3D Touch too often and want to increase the amount of pressure required.As you examine each option, you can test the 3D Touch sensitivity by using it on the sample image at the bottom of the screen. This provides a handy way to determine the setting that’s best for you without having to jump back and forth between Settings and the Home Screen.Once you’ve determined your preferred 3D Touch sensitivity, you can simply close Settings and head back to the Home Screen or another app; there’s no need to save or restart your device and the changes to the sensitivity level will take effect immediately.Despite having the 3D Touch sensitivity options displayed as a slider, Apple currently only lets users choose one of the three pressure levels, without the ability to fine-tune sensitivity between the options. This may be a limitation of the 3D Touch technology built into the iPhone’s display, or Apple could possibly enable a more precise level of control in a future update. But it means that some users may not be satisfied with one of the three current options. Until (or if) Apple enables such a feature, users can adjust and readjust 3D Touch sensitivity as desired with a quick trip to Settings.